Lydia Johnson Dance Lifts the 'Barre' for Summer Camps

Beginning July 7-25th, NYC professionals lend talents to inspire aspiring dancers in three-week summer program.

Explore dance in depth this summer with professional dancers from New York!

Lydia Johnson Dance (LJD) is now accepting registrations for Lydia Johnson Dance Camp on July 7-July 25, where professional dancers from LJD will lead a creative exploration of dance and the art of choreography. (Learn more @lydiajohnsondance.org)

The camp will run from 9 a.m-1 p.m. Monday through Friday at The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood for students entering Grades 2 through 12 at all skill levels.  

An extended day is now offered in partnership with Geralyn’s Art Studio so campers can dance in the morning and create visual art work in the afternoons for a full day of the arts. (Scholarships and one and two-week sessions are available.) The program includes Pizza Fridays, dance games, snack on the patio, and special events.

Under the direction of choreographer Lydia Johnson, LJD company members and teaching artists will lead small groups through a varied day of creative dance including Dance Technique, Choreography, and Survey of Contemporary Dance, with guest artists teaching jazz and hip hop. The day includes a Choreography Workshop in which the campers create their own dances to show friends and families.

Lydia Johnson Dance has been consistently praised for its distinctive choreography, with reviews in The New York Times, Backstage, Oberon's Grove, Dance Stuff New York, and The New Yorker

“For musicality and fine structuring, few people currently choreographing in the New York dance scene can compare with Lydia Johnson. There is thought, passion and tenderness in her work, and a depth of musical resonance that is very satisfying to behold.”  -- Philip Gardner, Oberon’s Grove 2012

LJD believes that technique is best learned as children use their creative energy to compose their own dance works. The camp program includes:

• Daily Dance Technique Classes Contemporary and Ballet Students will work at their own level to expand their ability to use these basic dance techniques. The classes will allow each child to develop at their own pace.

• Choreography Workshop This class will encourage kids to explore the unique process of developing dance phrases and thinking compositionally. The focus will be on dynamics, musicality, elements of design and spacing, use of levels and gesture, and stage design. The workshop will culminate in an opportunity for children to perform the phrases developed.

• Dance History and Contemporary Survey Taught through viewing and discussing a wide range of dance videos both current and historic, the class will give young students a broader sense of the amazing range of dance styles and choreography. The workshop will be used as a springboard for projects in the Choreography Workshop.

• Special Events Throughout our three weeks together dancers from the company will perform as guest artists, demonstrating partnering, phrasing and performing excerpts from LJD’s repertory. Our dancers all have extensive teaching experience love to work with kids.

Lydia Johnson Dance has been seen in regular NYC season for 13 years and is also the Company-in-Residence at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. More information is available on the LJD website.